Popular
INTRO
Popular was shot utilizing the idea about controlling
ones expressions. We recognized the many different facial
expressions that could be made and how we only use a few.
This is a reference not only to social control but how
beauty is also learned and practiced. Like a clam producing
a pearl, we thus created beauty within the harsh exterior.
The idea arose from a terrible Hindi slapstick film called “Ishq” which had a scene in which two buddies try to embezzle
money from one their father's bank account on the sly.
Unfortunately, the father arrives at the bank while the
lads are on their way out and they can no't find a way to
hide. So in order to disguise themselves they start making
grotesque faces and walk by him without him being able
to recognize them.
As silly as this scene was, it gave idea that our faces
are so complex in their muscular movements to the point
of having a self disguise kit within ourselves. We questioned
why do we not fully utilize our faces and their abilities
on our daily lives and why would we be looked down upon
if we did. We identified that society and adulthood were
the biggest restraints, as a child we are freer with our
faces and through our development we are taught to restrain
our expressions, otherwise known as composure.
CRAFT
We shot ourselves making faces along with the music that
we used for our production in order to make it look in
sync with the beats. Popular's main backbone is the soundtrack
which starts on a restrained beat and intensifies gradually
till crescendo. The soundtrack was a clip off the track “Snakeblood” by Left Field, plucked from the soundtrack
for the motion picture “The Beach”.
This was an unscripted shoot where we ourselves being
the actors in our film explored our prowess in our facial
movements and how far we could take, which muscles we
could isolate and move to the beat. It became a choreography
of its own. It was the first time we felt like we were
dancing without moving our bodies.
We used random inserts to punctuate the facial frenzy
that was going on. From bugs in movement to shadows to
plastic babies falling out of screen all to add the crazy
release of our facial muscles. The inserts were used to
spice up the canvas to show the outside circumstances
that coincide with our facial contortions.
SEQUITUR
The miracle of the face lies not in its mere beauty but
in its movements. By delving into the complexities of
the face and its wide motor abilities we found it first
a strange experience and later after the inhibitions were
shed it was strange haven for expressive salvation.
The dollhead spouting out of the mouth is symbolic of
the resonance of society, through every change every exploration,
every attempt to break away only brings us closer. Like
a child as he grows, he realizes that he can't be as expressive
as he used to be, the hazards of growing up and being treated
like an adult can be harrowing, so the child has to play
the field and make most of his abandon before it is time
to mature, because no matter what will happen, the poised,
composed, pretty face is what the world wants.
Us humans cannot be fulfilled being by ourselves as much
as we will not like to admit it, we need to live collectively
and in order to do that conformation is inevitable. The
doll's head is the affirmation that despite our frenzies
and attempts to break away and find our individual essence
we must come back to society and keep ourselves acceptable.
Thus is the creation of the pearl from an oyster, through
all the tensions and hardships, it creates an object of
beauty; devoid of movement, expression, and contortion.
The choice is ours, ugly and alive or beautiful and dead.
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